Date: 07-12-2020

Title: The Way To Live

(S) cripture:
    Hebrews 10:19-25 (NASB) Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

(O) bservation:
    Because Jesus is superior and is our high priest we are called to a new way of living. We are to:
        Draw near to God with a sincere heart
        Hold fast to the confession of our faith
        Stimulate each other to love and good deeds
        Gather together for encouragement and worship
    That is a new way of living because it is the antithesis of our nature. These directives are counter to our natural selfish tendencies. This kind of living comes as a result of our lives being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

(A) pplication:
    These four directives form a way of living that I desire. Too often I find myself focused only on my personal needs and struggles. I sometimes forget that I have a family in Christ that can and will help. When I am focused on myself, I am not able to help others and then I am way out of whack with these directives. If I could outline a way to live that brings fulfillment and satisfaction it would have to resemble the one given here, but it could not improve on this one. Today I will seek to live out these directives. I will practice them and by the power of the Holy Spirit they will become the normal for my life. I cannot produce this on my own but can with the Holy Spirit leading and empowering me.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, you know the work that must be done in my life in order for it to reflect these commands. Do that work in me. Amen

Date: 07-11-2020

Title: A Done Deal

(S) cripture:
    Isaiah 14:24 (NASB) The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,

(O) bservation:
    In a prophecy against Assyria, Isaiah begins with this declaration. What God plans will happen and what God purposes will last.

(A) pplication:
    Sometimes I forget that God is in control and that His plans and purposes will stand. Now I would never say that God is not in control out loud, but I live that way at times. When I take things into my own hands or choose to live by my own devices, I am taking control and my plans will not stand. Today I will trust and follow God. I know that His plans and purposes last where mine are temporal at best. Today I will trust and follow His purposes and plans. I will walk by faith and not by sight.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I know that your plans and purposes last so help me to trust and follow them and not my own. Amen

Date: 07-10-2020

Title: The New Is Superior

(S) cripture:
    Hebrews 8:13 (NASB) When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

(O) bservation:
    The writer has said that Jesus is superior to all other priests and this new covenant is superior to the old one. The old covenant required continual animal sacrifices, but the new covenant is in Jesus’ sacrifice once for all. The old was temporary but the new covenant is permanent. Jesus is superior in every way. The old was the way of the law but the new is the way of grace.

(A) pplication:
    Grace is superior to law and is permanent. I wonder why I so often want to reduce my relationship with the Lord to a list of rules or think that keeping the rules earns his favor. Today I will rely on God’s grace and trust His Spirit to live and work in and through me. I desire the superior and permanent to the inferior and temporary.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I trust your Grace to sustain me and hold me up. Thank you for providing a permanent solution for my sin. Amen

Date: 07-09-2020

Title: What Does God Require

(S) cripture:
    Micah 6:8 (ESV) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

(O) bservation:
    The prophet has proposed all kinds of things to do in order to come before God. From burnt offerings to animal sacrifices and even offering his firstborn. None of these God accepts. He then comes to verse 8, “What does the Lord require – act justly, love kindness (mercy) and walk humbly with your God. These are simple to understand but difficult to live out each day.

(A) pplication:
    I do not always act justly, sometimes I want revenge. I do not always love kindness (mercy), sometimes I delight when people get what I think they deserve and are dealt with harshly. Sometimes I am arrogant in my walk with you. Today I confess my sin to you and ask that you restore me and fill me with your Spirit so that my life will be characterized by justice, kindness (mercy) and humility.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, do your work in me and make me into the person you want me to be. I want my life to be a witness to your work in me that can be seen in my commitment to justice, kindness and walking humbly with you. Amen

Date: 07-08-2020

Title: Maturing in Christ

(S) cripture:
    Hebrews 6:1 (NASB) Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

(O) bservation:
    Here the writer is not saying to abandon the basics but rather to build on to them with the deeper things of God. The believer is not to be content with only an elementary understanding of the things of God. We are to grow and mature in our faith and walk with the Lord.

(A) pplication:
    This is a call to maturing in Christ. It is unnatural not to grow and yet I know many Christians who are at the same maturity level years after their conversion. In my undergraduate degree I had a field education assignment at the local state hospital. My degree was in Rehabilitation Counseling and this was at a mental hospital. One particular patient at the hospital was in her mid-thirties, lay curled up in a fetal position, and had never grown from her early childhood size. She was a pitiful sight because she had never grown. I think of her and how unnatural her state was when I encounter Christians that have never grown in their relationship with Jesus. Being a baby Christian is fine in the beginning but it is not natural to stay in that condition. I want to grow in my understanding and commitment to the Lord. I want to become more and more mature as each day passes. I do not want to be content where I am today. I want to grow each day. In this passage I am reminded that maturing in my relationship with Jesus is the natural thing and it is also what God desires.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, don’t let me be complacent in my relationship with you. Let me move each day toward more maturity in you. Help me to help others mature in you. Amen

Date: 07-07-2020

Title: Come To The Lord With Words

(S) cripture:
    Hosea 14:1-2 (NASB) Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity And receive us graciously, That we may present the fruit of our lips.

    Psalm 100:1-2 (NASB) Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.

(O) bservation:
    Hosea and David both tell us to use words with God. God speaks to us and expects us to speak back to Him. Words mean things and we are to use them with God. We are to express our repentance in words. We are to confess our sins with words. We are to express worship and joy with words. God wants to hear from us.

(A) pplication:
    It is appropriate to “be still” when I am contemplating the majesty and greatness of God. There are times when I am to be vocal and to remain silent is not acceptable. In the verses I chose for today I am to be vocal in my confession. That means that sins have names and I need to be specific when I confess. It is easy to be general and ask for general forgiveness but when I confess specifically, I experience a specific sense of forgiveness. I am to use words when I worship, sing joyful songs. As I read these passages this morning I was reminded of my devotion on July 3. On that day I wrote about having a God that speaks to us. And here that God wants us, commands us, to speak to Him. We express our faith, worship, commitment and love for God with words. Today I will use words as I confess and worship.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I love you and want to be fully devoted to you. Teach me how to speak to you in ways you desire and in ways that draw me closer to you. Hear my prayer, grant me a sense of your presence today. Amen

Date: 07-06-2020

Title: Confidence With God

(S) cripture:
    Hebrews 4:14-16 (NASB) Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

(O) bservation:
    We are to hold firm to our faith in Jesus, the high priest. Jesus is able to sympathize with us because he has been tempted in every way that we have been tempted and yet unlike us, he is without sin. Where we give in to temptation, he never did. Because of his work and our faith in him we are to come before God with confidence.

(A) pplication:
    It is like the confidence I had when speaking to my mom. I knew she wanted what is best for me and would do whatever she could to bring that to pass. I do not have the same confidence speaking to someone else’s parent because they may or may not want the best for me. My confidence is rooted in my relationship with God. I come as his child. As his child I have access that another may not have. This dispels the myth of the “fatherhood of God”. God is the creator of all things, but he is father to those who are his children by faith in his Son, Jesus. Because of my faith in Jesus I have confidence before God and can receive mercy and grace from God. That is where I want to live today, experiencing the mercy and grace of God.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I again profess my faith in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I thank you for receiving me into your presence and listening to my prayers. I thank you for your mercy and grace, they always arrive just when I need them. Teach me to trust you more and more each day. Amen

Date: 07-05-2020

Title: Encourage

(S) cripture:
    Hebrews 3:12-13 (NASB) Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

(O) bservation:
    The writer is warning against unbelief and gives a command to encourage one another each day. This encouragement keeps us from being hardened by sin.

(A) pplication:
    This statement seems to say that encouragement is good for both the encourager and the one being encouraged. It is important to see the urgency in this command. We are to do this “Today” and not wait until tomorrow. We only have today and that is what we are to be about. I think maybe you can delay your criticism, but encouragement is to happen each and every day. We are not to delay in our encouragement. Today I will seek to encourage those I meet. I will practice this command. I want to be known as an encourager and so I will be about that today.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, make me aware of how best to encourage those around me today. Give me a heart that is sensitive to the needs of people and let me offer a good word for them today. Amen

Date: 07-04-2020

Title: Death Defeated

(S) cripture:
    Hebrews 2:14-15 (NASB) Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

(O) bservation:
    Jesus was fully God and fully human. We know this but sometimes we forget the human aspect. He was like us so he could deliver us. He conquered death so we could be free from the fear of death.

(A) pplication:
    Because Jesus was fully human, therefore he knows all about the problems and weaknesses we face in our humanity. He faced the same things and overcame them and did not sin in doing so. He conquered death so I would not be afraid. Today I will live in confidence in the Lord. I know my Savior knows me and loves me and keeps me and empowers me to live life as he intended it to be lived. I am not afraid and can now live free.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, thank you for defeating my fear of death on the cross. Now let me live in confidence making known your name. Amen

Date: 07-03-2020

Title: God Speaks

(S) cripture:
    Hebrews 1:1-2 (NASB) God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

(O) bservation:
    The theme of Hebrews is that Jesus is superior to anything that came before. God spoke through the prophets and we should take heed to what they wrote because it came from God. But now, in these days, He has spoken and speaks in His Son that is much superior to any other communication. Most translations use either the word “in”, “by”, or “through” to describe how God has spoken using His Son. That means that we must focus on the whole of Jesus’ life as revealed to us in scripture. When we want to know what God desires, we look to Jesus. What God has said through the prophets and Jesus we know from the scripture. There is no other source to know what God has said.

(A) pplication:
    Anything contrary to the Bible is not from God. I must study the Bible, God’s Word, to know what was said. The Holy Spirit can then work to make application for our lives today. I must continually immerse myself in the Word if I want to communicate what God has said and help others grow as disciples and followers of Jesus.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, let me communicate only what is consistent with your Word. Amen